


The Better Liar

by uesakahatsue



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Cheating, F/M, Lots of Angst, Manga Spoilers, Manipulation, Timeskip, angst angst angst, reposting because ao3 likes to hide my works in the dark, tanakiyo crumbs, tenma is pretty as usual, the miyas are highkey simping for our queen saeko
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-22
Updated: 2020-12-22
Packaged: 2021-03-11 03:42:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,892
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28238637
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/uesakahatsue/pseuds/uesakahatsue
Summary: "Say, say, Saeko-san, don't you have a boyfriend?""We can date, ya' know?"I snorted at the two Miya's, while my sister laughed it off. "Ya' are both cute, but you're not my type!""Ah, so Saeko-san preferred muscled men?""Tsumu, should we start going to a gym tomorrow?""Well, I do like those men," She laughed once more. "But I did date a cute guy once."
Relationships: Tanaka Saeko/Tsukishima Akiteru
Kudos: 5





	The Better Liar

**Author's Note:**

> Reposting this since I have this love-hate relationship with Ao3 for hiding my works in the dark. I appreciate any kind of hits, kudos, comments, feedbacks, and constructive criticisms! Also, I absolutely abhor people who claim other's works as theirs— don't even dare. ^^
> 
> Enjoy the rest of the story! ♡

⸙.

『すべての女性が同じというわけではありません。』

The endless voice of people chattering, glasses clinking, and the meat sizzling on the grill.

"Congrats, Ryuu!" My sister yelled before raising another glass of beer. "Cheers for Ryuu and Kiyo's child!"

"Cheers!"

"Darling, I think you should drive Saeko-san home," Kiyoko whispered to me as we watch my sister drinking her ninth bottle. "Do you want me to call the cab instead?"

I sighed as I give my jacket to my wife, standing up. "Wear that, and wait for me. I'll call Yachi to be with you, 'kay?"

"Mhm."

I felt my shoulders being heavy as I approach my sister who was talking to our other guests, totally worn out. Her short hair is sticking on her nape because of her sweat, her lipstick was already gone because of the meat's grease, and the smell of alcohols reeks from her despite her using more perfume today than usual... in short, she's a mess.

"Nee-san, I'll drive you home," I held her right arm as I pulled her up. "You still have work tomorrow, right?"

"You don't have to worry about it! I just got fired earlier!"

"... I think that's worrisome, though."

"I'm sorry," Inarizaki's former captain, Kita, bowed from the other table. "Your sister is probably drunk because of the twin's high tolerance."

I glanced at the Miya twins who are on both sides of my sister, with no signs of being drunk. They seem to enjoy themselves. "No, my sister's just like that in general."

"Say, say, Saeko-san, don't you have a boyfriend?"

"We can date, ya know?"

I snorted at the two Miya's, while my sister laughed it off. "Ya' are both cute, but you're not my type!"

"Ah, so Saeko-san preferred muscled men?"

"Tsumu, should we start going to a gym tomorrow?"

"Well, I do like those men," She laughed once more. "But I did date a cute guy once."

"Eh? Really?"

"Tell us who it is."

"O-Oi, Nee-san!" I whispered to her ear. "Tsukishima's here! He'll hear it!"

"It's okay, Tanaka-san," Tsukishima softly said from the other table. "I've only heard my brother's part of the story, so probably hearing Saeko-san's side will be different."

You don't understand, Tsukishima.

"Tanaka," I looked at my wife who called my name. She gestured me to come to her so I did, sitting beside her. "Let her be. Let's drive her home after this."

"Kiyoko, you don't under—"

"I think... this is the right time to let Saeko-san say her feelings out loud."

With that, I let my sister narrate the whole thing, while Karasuno, Nekoma, Seijoh, Dateko, Fukurodani, Inarizaki... everyone's ears are on her.

"Hmm, it started on my cute brother's match against Shiratorizawa. He was there to cheer for his little brother too. We exchanged numbers after the match, but I never really thought that I would date him, or anything like that. I mean... he's not my type at all. He's too soft. Too kind. Too angelic."

You can see in my sister's eyes that she still loves him... it was gleaming with joy and excitement as she describes him.

"He chatted me once if I could go out with him. I kept saying no but he insisted, saying that I'm the first girl he asked out. So I said, why not give it a try? It's not like he's unlikable."

"So what happened to your first date, Saeko-san?"

"It's not bad. He's the only guy I've dated that opens the door and pulls the chair for me, and those things make any girl's heart beat fast, y'know? In my entire life, I've only dated men who would say 'get that yourself' or 'you're a woman, so handle it alone', and I liked it. I feel like they're depending on me. But with him, it's my first time... being cherished like that."

Yeah, right... my sister is older than me, and no one in our house before can teach her about those things. She isn't the girliest or most modest, but she's still a lady... she must've wished for someone to treat her like that.

"Of course, I did say yes after four months. He's so cute, jumping up and down, asking me to repeat it. I'm so happy that time, I thought that maybe, I could be a lady too..."

"Of course you can, Saeko-san!"

"You're definitely a lady!"

"I know, right?" Saeko-san grinned at the twins. "He still stayed the same after that. I still have doubts that he likes me, but he told me that he'll love me no matter what... so I believed him, since I already love him as well... no matter who he is."

"But then, his gifts became weirder as time passed by, on our anniversary, he gave me a pink tennis skirt and a crop top— do I look like someone who'll wear those? So I just kept it in my cabinet, but I didn't wear it. Days after that, he asked me why am I not wearing his gift, and I said that I'm not comfortable wearing it. He looks really sad after that, so I felt sorry for him."

"No need to say sorry, Saeko-san!"

"Yeah, right. It's his fault that he gave ya somethin' that ya'r not comfortable with. Ya shouldn't feel sorry about it—"

"But I love him."

The twins fell silent after that. Saeko-san reached for the beer to pour on her glass once more, before filling the twins'.

"I love him, so I'll do everything to make him happy, because I'm his girlfriend." She smiled as she places the bottle back on the table, before picking her glass and drinking it all in one go. "When he saw me wearing it, of course, he praised me, telling me how beautiful I am with those."

"But it didn't end there." My sister's smile faded. "He started giving me more, and more... until I reached my limit. I told him that I'm not comfortable with those, and he looked somehow disappointed... I feel bad for not meeting his expectations."

"But he said it's okay, and I'm beautiful no matter what, so it's all settled... or so I thought."

"We stayed together for five years... isn't that amazing? I've seen all kinds of him during that time... every single one is charming in a way. At first, I thought that he won't last long because, to be honest, my personality isn't the best when compared to other girls. It kinda sucks, because personality is all I got."

That's not true, Nee-san... I wanted to yell that to her, but I guess it's also true in a sense. Us, Tanaka's, are just average. It's not like we're best nor worst in anything. You'll never see us discouraged... but we know. We know that we're not special.

But Saeko-san's different from me. She can stand up for herself and fight all by herself. She took care of me even though she's busy in college. She supported me and cheered me up whenever I did something good. She's amazing. So it infuriates me when someone who didn't even stay with her 'til the end made her feel like she's nothing special.

"He's innocent most of the time but sometimes, he's willing to throw back jokes at me, and it thrills me every time he did. He would never let himself walk first before me, letting me lead like a gentleman. I didn't notice it sooner, but when he told me that I'm his world... I realized that he's my entire universe."

"He's gentle and sweet... soft and angelic... pretty and dainty... delicate and fragile... I genuinely thought that I could ask him to marry me."

"Eh? But ya'r the girl, Saeko-san!"

"I understand that he's all shy, cutesy, and stuff, but isn't that too much?"

... that only tells them how much she loves Tsukishima's brother... to the point that she's willing to do things that she isn't supposed to do... just to be with him longer.

"In our fifth year, he got employed by a manga publishing company, and he got really busy. He just texts me once a day, and it's either a good morning or a good night. We started drifting apart like the pair of a broken branch in a river... eventually, I had to visit him in his apartment to see him. He was there, but he's sleeping, so I waited for him to wake up."

"The porridge I made was all cold when he did. He was surprised to see me there, but he didn't complain. I asked him how his work is, and he told me how busy he was, to the point that he can't even manage to call me. He said that his manager is strict and doesn't talk to him a lot. I thought that it must've been too hard for him, so I told him that he should just focus on work and he doesn't need to call or text me, because I understand."

"Still..."

"Not textin' yar girlfriend 'coz of work? That's a crime..."

"I told him that it's okay, but I just lied so that he wouldn't feel bad for me," Saeko-san leaned on her seat and looked up. "I lied to make him feel better."

"Weeks passed and I didn't receive a single call nor text from him, but I did my best to not text him because I wanted to support him with his work. I wanted him to feel that I'm always there to understand him. I wanted to let him know that I'm just there, and I won't leave him. But I'm too naïve to think that he'll do the same."

"I am shopping with Alisa and Akane one time... we were buying something to celebrate Alisa's brother's birthday... that's when I saw him."

"Ya' saw him shoppin' alone?"

"He didn't invite ya'?"

"Well, he's not shopping alone..." Saeko-san looked at the table behind her where Hinata, Kageyama, Yamaguchi, Tsukishima, and Yachi were sitting. "Shoyo! Do you remember the guy that I almost fell for when I was in high school?"

"The Little Giant, right?"

"Yeah..." Saeko-san's smile faded in a blink of an eye. "He was shopping with that guy."

"... eh?"

"Oh, sh*t."

"At first, I thought that maybe, it's just for the company, since they're wearing the same uniform. I even saw the 'manager' label on Tenma's uniform. But then I saw Tenma's arm wrapped around Akiteru's... their hands clasped together... their smiles as Tenma points at something that he can't reach... and the way Aki's eyes gleamed as he looks at Tenma like he was a diamond in a world full of pebbles... he never looked at me like that."

I was about to stand to give her my handkerchief but Osamu was quick to wipe her tears. Everyone was silent and the only thing that you'll hear is the meat that was sizzling and Saeko-san's sobs.

"I looked at Tenma. His hands are fair and delicate, his figure is small and slim, and his hair is long but it was neatly kept as if he's taking utmost care of it... how am I supposed to compete with that?"

"Akiteru saw us when Alisa yelled at them. His eyes widened at me for a second. I don't know if it's just me, but when he removed his gaze from Tenma, his eyes look dull and lifeless. I never thought that before since I've always thought his eyes are wide and pretty, but now that I saw his eyes glistening in happiness... I thought that he looked at me with those lifeless eyes all this time."

"Tenma asked him who am I, since I was already tearing up on the sight. Then, he remembered who I was— Number 6's sister. He can't even remember my name. He asked me why am I tearing up, and I'm frustrated. I'm frustrated with how his voice sounds so soft yet clear, I'm frustrated with how gentle his face looked as he looks at me, as if he's genuinely concerned about why am I crying. It makes me feel pathetic... I feel like he's slapping me with the fact that he's better than me."

"He asked once more, 'Why are you crying?', and he asked Akiteru if he remembers me... Alisa, what did Aki answer?"

"Uh..." Lev's sister was hesitating to say it but in the end, she answered. "I just remembered her too. She's the sister of Kei's teammate, right?"

"There, there... calm down." If not for Kiyoko who was holding my hand, I would've punched the couch in anger. How dare he? How dare he act like he just met her when they've already dated for five years? In those five motherf*cking years, did he really love my sister even once? Did he? Because I'd like to think that he doesn't, since he's a piece of sh*t for not seeing how amazing and great my sister is.

"Yeah, right... he just remembered me." She laughed bitterly as she leaned on her seat, looking up. "He just remembered me when he saw me... he forgot me."

"I ignored Tenma's question and tugged both of the girls away, not batting an eye at Aki. I was sure that he won't chase after me.. and he didn't."

"When I arrived home, I saw him waiting for me in the garage. I was supposed to ignore him but then he told me that he's breaking up with me... his face is serious and stern, without a hint of guilt. It was entirely different from the Aki that I'm seeing all this time— this Aki won't even apologize."

"That's when I let it all out." Saeko-san closed her eyes and smiled, although beads of tears are continuously falling to her cheeks. "I ask him since when, since when is he fooling me like that, since when did I not became enough for him, since when did he stop loving me."

"What did he say?"

"He said he didn't even love me in the first place."

"No way..."

"He yelled at me back. He asked me, in those five years, why didn't I change? He was suffering for years just to wait for me to change into a girl that he would like. Giving me girly outfits and accessories, being a gentleman, treating me like royalty... he wanted me to change myself. He wanted me to be someone that he would be proud to show to everyone. But I didn't... so he asked me what's wrong with me."

"I never thought that I'm supposed to change myself in order to be cherished. I've always thought that maybe, someone among the seven billion people in this world would find me beautiful, amazing, great... I thought that someone would find me likable, and I was foolish for thinking so."

"I accepted him for who he was. He wasn't my type, but I still liked him even if he's the complete opposite. I wasn't his type too, but he liked me because he thought he could change me to fit his standards."

"I knew why he chose Tenma. Tenma is more fragile, more delicate, more pretty... Tenma is feminine. Tenma is beautiful. Tenma is modest and soft. Tenma isn't someone like me. Tenma perfectly fits his standards, so he dated Tenma even if we're already five years long."

"I was the girlfriend but he was the only one who he likes. I was the woman but he's the only one who he'd go for. I was the lady but he was the princess. I was Akiteru's girlfriend, but he wouldn't hesitate to replace me for someone perfect like Tenma."

"But I'm not angry at Tenma. I'm happy for him... since he got someone like Aki. I've never liked soft boys before, but I can tell that he's one of the best boyfriends that I had... even if it was just an act. I feel happy for Tenma, because he had something that I wanted. He had something that I would die for just to get it. He got both feminine traits and Akiteru... He's the Heather in my life."

"He told me that he'll love me no matter what. When he saw me wearing his gifts, he told me how beautiful I am with those. He told me that I'm his world. He told me he can't even manage to call me because of work. He said that his manager is strict and doesn't talk to him a lot." Saeko-san chortled in laughter. "He's such a pretty little liar, isn't he?"

"But it's okay... Aki looks happy with him. Aki looks like he finally found the gem that he's searching for in me all this time. I'm happy that they're both happy... but it sucks that I'll die alone without someone beside me... because he set the standards, and I doubt that anyone would meet it."

"I'm the first girlfriend, but he's the last. I promised that I won't leave him, but he did. He was my whole universe, but now it was just plain black. He's my life, and now I'm dead."

『私が最初でしたが、彼は最後でした。』

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading, minna-san! I post more Haikyuu-related content on my Facebook, so if you have time, you might want to check it out! ♡
> 
> FB: Ryuuichi Aone


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